Ghost of the Gallows
by NorthernMage
Summary: Gallows Manor is Death City's resident haunted mansion. When Black Star drags the gang there for a test of fear, they're in for nothing they've ever experienced before. Feat. Ghost!Kid. Collaboration with Pokelolmc.
1. Chapter 1

**Hi, NorthernMage here! This is one of Pokelolmc's ideas, which we initially wrote together as a script, then I turned it into a fanfic with her help. In other words, another collaboration between us. This takes place before the Soul Eater plot.**

**Kid: NorthernMage and Pokelolmc don't own Soul Eater.**

'Why are we here Black Star?' Maka asked her friend. Maka, Soul, and Tsubaki had all been dragged to Gallows Mansion by the supposedly godly ninja. They had only met about three weeks ago, near the end of their first term at the DWMA. It was halfway through their holidays.

'I dare you to take on the ultimate test of fear!' Black Star laughed. 'I'll win of course, but it'll be much more fun to kick your asses than do it alone!'

'What's so scary about this old place anyway?' Soul asked, looking up at the mansion.

'You could call it Death City's resident haunted mansion.' Maka explained. '200 years ago, this used to be Lord Death's house. Someone associated with Lord Death was murdered here, in a witch attack. Lord Death then moved out. People say the person's regrets of their death trapped their soul in the living world. It's said that the murder victim's ghost haunts the mansion to this day. It's widely known as the Ghost of the Gallows.' When everyone stared at her, she shrugged. 'It's just a legend.'

'Are you sure this is a good idea Black Star?' Tsubaki asked nervously. 'I mean, we've only been here for a few months, and you're already dragging us around haunted places!'

'Why not?' Black Star cackled. 'It's not as if the ghost can compete with my godliness! I always protect my subjects, no matter how much of a wimp they are! However, I, the great Black Star, wishes to know who is the bravest out of you scared underlings! Take this test of fear!' Soul snorted.

'I can survive this easy. Cool guys don't get scared of ghosts.' he said, making air quotes with his fingers at the word "ghosts". Maka sighed.

'Black Star, it's not right to force people to do things they don't want to. We do live in a free country.'

'NOT ON MY WATCH YOU DON'T!' the egotistic ninja yelled. 'GET YOUR ASSES IN THAT MANSION!'

Now inside the mansion to shut up Black Star, the group stood around awkwardly. Suddenly the door shut behind them. 'What was that?!' Tsubaki yelped.

'Nothing a cool guy can't handle.' Soul grinned.

'I'm really starting to hate this idea, Black Star.' Maka said quietly.

There was a white and black hallway. The floor was black, and the walls and ceiling were white, and on either side were black pots with white skulls around the tops. Suddenly, the pots started lifting themselves into the air as if pulled by invisible hands, rearranging themselves into a certain pattern that appeared...mirrored, maybe symmetrical. The teens gasped in shock and stared in fear at the obviously paranormal event. 'D-did you guys see that?!' Tsubaki asked desperately.

'Ha ha ha! Looks like the phantom is out to play. SHOW YOURSELF!' Black Star declared.

When nothing happened, a soft 'Huh.' came from Black Star. Then, someone came into view far down the hallway. It was a black-haired boy, and he was running away from them. 'Looks like another wimp going for the test!' Black Star told everyone. 'He could be another subject too! LET'S GET HIM! YAHOO!' With this new objective in mind, they ran after him.

By the time they had run up a set of stairs, past two rooms, and down a hallway following him, they had not only become completely exhausted; he had outrun them. 'We lost him!' Maka cried out in frustration.

'Dammit, he must be faster than we thought.' Soul panted.

'Look!' Tsubaki pointed down the hallway. 'The hallway leads into a room.'

'He came this way, we should go and investigate.' Maka said, bent on the idea of finding out more about the legend. 'Maybe he knows more about it.'

The room was a small study. Bookcases lined the walls, filled with books. Some were about demon weapons, meisters and kishin, and others were novels Maka had wanted to read for years. The boy was nowhere to be seen. 'He's not here.' Tsubaki moaned.

'But how is that possible?' Maka said to herself. 'The hallway only leads to this room!' As they looked around, Black Star saw a window.

'Ha ha ha! He must have climbed out a window!' He opened it and leaned out. 'YOU THINK YOU'RE BETTER THAN ME YOU LITTLE WIMP? I'M THE GREAT BLACK STAR, I CAN JUMP FROM ANY HEIGHT!'

Tsubaki turned white. 'Black Star, we're on the second level!' she cried as she tugged him back into the house.

'I'm fine.' Black Star told her. Even as he did, a quill in a bottle of ink started frantically writing on paper. Everyone slowly turned to the table, and stared at the quill as it wrote.

'What's happening?' Tsubaki begged in a terrified voice.

'Th-the legend is tr-true?' Maka stammered, forcing herself to try to be calm. Her partner, however, gave up on calm a while ago.

'Oh GOD what is that?! Cool guys don't get scared! I'm not scared!' Soul muttered to himself, walking around in a circle talking to himself. 'I'm not scared. I'm not scared. I'm not scared!' Then Tsubaki said the most sensible thing out of the entire group.

'Run!' They all ran as fast as they could up the stairs in the corner of the room. Up at the top of the stairs, there was a small room with a lantern in the corner. By this point, Maka and Tsubaki were barely sane, with Soul not far behind. Black Star, on the other hand, was just laughing, and saying they were wimps. 'That was terrifying!' Tsubaki sobbed.

Soul took deep breaths calming himself, with chants of 'I wasn't scared...I wasn't scared! This is so not cool.'

Now that Maka had also calmed down, it became clear this ghost wasn't done with them yet. Her undeveloped and undiscovered soul perception activated, and she was greeted to her new ability with the bitter present of seeing the ghost, flickering in front of her. This caused the obvious reaction: Maka screamed. 'OHMYGOD I JUST SAW THE GHOST!' This caused Tsubaki and Soul to transform into weapon forms.

'Where is it?' Black Star asked, serious for once.

'There!' Maka yelled, and they all started attacking randomly, all of them too scared to think clearly. Suddenly, Maka slammed Soul into the ground. 'Stop!' Black Star froze. Slightly embarrassed, Maka said 'Hey, did you ever think that to be a ghost, you have to be dead?'

'Um...no...' Tsubaki said.

'I'm being really uncool today, aren't I?' Soul sighed.

'We should just get this over with.' Maka muttered. They walked down the hallway until they reached a door. On the door was a dusty skull emblem. 'Maybe this was Lord Death's room.' Maka said. She opened the door and they all entered the room.

The floor was black, and eight small white lines were placed equally up the walls. The ceiling was also black. On either side of the bed, was a bedside table, with equally burned out candles on them. The bed itself was only a single bed, in the centre of the room. There was a locking sound, and nobody needed to turn around and check to know the door had locked. The bed started making itself, which, given what they had just been through, only shocked the group. A shape appeared and started to glow, and after a few moments, it had turned into a teenage boy. He was deathly pale, had yellow-gold eyes and his hair was short and black with three white stripes going halfway across it. He wore a plain black suit, and white gloves. Around his neck was a ruffle of white fabric, and the cuffs of his sleeves had a gold line going around them in a straight line. This would be mostly fine, if he wasn't translucent.

'I HATE YOU BLACK STAR THIS STUPID TEST OF COURAGE IS GOING TO GET US EATEN BY THE GHOST!' Tsubaki screamed in a high-pitched voice.

'This is so cool.' Soul breathed, earning him a glare from his partner.

'Soul!' Maka snapped. 'We're seeing a ghost and you think that's cool?!' Maka was shaking with fear.

Soul grinned, showing his pointed teeth. 'Of course it is, tiny-tits.'

It was at this point the boy spoke. 'Listen, calm down. I'm not going to bring any of you to harm-'

'Hey Soul?' Black Star whispered to his best friend.

'Yeah?' Soul whispered back.

'What's up with this guy? He's talking like dinosaurs are still alive.' The boy glared at him.

'Excuse me, but I do not. I lived in 1813, not when dinosaurs were living.'

'Whatever. You still talk in a weird-ass way.' Black Star said defiantly.

'Mind your language.' the boy snarled. 'There are ladies in the room.' This sent Maka and Tsubaki into combined blushes.

'So,' Maka began. 'You're the Ghost of the Gallows?'

'Well, yes, if that is what I'm called now.' He looked a little surprised by his name.

Tsubaki nodded. 'It is.' The ghost stared back.

'A speaking chain-scythe...you're a demon weapon. So the others are meisters.' With their identities revealed, Soul and Tsubaki transformed back into their human forms. 'I apologise for scaring you earlier. You could not see me for quite a while. It was difficult to communicate with you.'

'It's...uh...okay.' Maka said. 'What happened to you?'

The ghost cringed. 'How about we sit down. It will be easier to explain then.' The group sat on the bed while the ghost stood in front of them. Taking a deep breath, he began.

'My name is Death the Kid, son of Lord Death.'

'LORD DEATH HAD SEX?' Black Star yelled obnoxiously. Kid glared at him.

'Young man, I asked you to mind your tongue!' The ghost boy snapped. Tsubaki smiled awkwardly.

'I'm sorry, that's impossible for him.' she told him. Kid shrugged.

'No matter. I lived here in Gallows Mansion with my father, Lord Death. 200 years ago, however, I was murdered. On the thirteenth of May 1813, a group of witches infiltrated this house. My father was in the basement, and I was sleeping. Even back then, the witches had soul protect, therefore he couldn't sense them. They came up to my room, and although I woke up, they noticed and fatally injured me. My honourable father identified the witches souls when they released soul protect to attack me and came up here and killed them, but I couldn't be saved. I died that night.'

'Why are you still here?' asked Tsubaki in a hushed tone.

'The regrets of my death bound me to the living world, and to the house as well. I have not left it since I died.'

'That's horrible!' Maka exclaimed. 'Spending 200 years locked inside a house as a ghost...'

'As for that obnoxious boy's implications that my father had sexual relations with someone, I was a piece of his soul. I was not born like normal humans are.'

'So, when you were little and asked how you were created...' Maka broke off.

'I found out I was a fragment of his soul. Yes.'

'Is there _any_ way to release your bond to the house?' Tsubaki asked him.

'Only if my body is put to rest. It needs to be buried.'

'We'll help.' Soul said suddenly.

Kid's eyes widened. 'Truly?'

'Yeah, why not.' Soul shrugged. 'It'd be uncool to let someone be trapped inside their own house for 200 years.'

'Thank you.' Kid said. 'I beg your pardon, but I believe you have not introduced yourselves.'

'Oh right! I am Maka Albarn!' Maka said happily.

'The name's Soul Eater.' Soul grinned, showing off his teeth.

'I AM THE ALMIGHTY BLACK STAR! THE MAN WHO WILL SURPASS GOD! YAHOO!' Black Star yelled.

'My name is Tsubaki Nakatsukasa.' Tsubaki said, bowing.

'If you're going to help me, follow me then; Miss Albarn, Mister Eater, Mister Black Star, Miss Nakatsukasa.' Kid walked out of the room, and Maka, Soul, Black Star and Tsubaki followed him.

'Here it is.' Kid said, opening the door to the basement. As they walked inside, they gasped. Kid's body was lying face up on the basement floor, a singular wound near his heart. It was generally bruised and scraped. The body looked exactly the same as Kid; the dark raven bangs fell lightly over a skin of deathly white eyes were gently closed and the body was wearing the same clothes as Kid; with its pale hands gently resting over it's heart. The corpse was bruised and wounded with dried blood stains, but it somehow seemed a little peaceful and empty. It sent shivers up the teens' spines; also seeming that Kid did not want to see his body in sight as he also hated seeing it's creepily mixed state.

'_Goodnight, Kid. I'll be down in the basement if you need me.' Lord Death told his son. Kid nodded._

_'I will be fine. Goodnight, father.' Kid bowed and started walking up the stairs to his room. On the way, he felt something strange at the edge of his soul perception, and paused for a moment. Soon though, it passed. Kid mentally sighed. Probably just drunk souls, he thought to himself._

_A few minutes later, he was in his room and in bed. Still those souls from before bothered him. _My father is right downstairs, I will be fine,_ he told himself, and soon fell asleep._

_Slowly, Kid's eyes opened. _Interrupted sleep again. Why does this keep happening?_ he silently moaned. Then, he heard footsteps, lots of them, and they definitely weren't his father's. Before he could try and fake sleep, the door opened, and the intruders saw him. Kid's eyes widened with shock. Witches. They grabbed him, and when a woman with lizard tattoos grabbed him, he felt himself go stiff. _I can't move, so I can't fight back!_ While Kid worried over his current situation, not to mention there were six witches, who were holding him asymmetrically, they started viciously attacking him. After a few minutes, they stopped._

_'Hello, son of Death.' the lizard witch said. 'Did you know that your father's Academy students kill witches? They suffer so much more than what you just did before they die. We're obviously not very happy with this, so we've decided to leave a message for him.' She took a step back and began to chant. 'Lizard lizard, dragon dragon!' A ball of white-hot fire appeared, and turned itself into a spear, shaped as a lizard's tongue. She threw it at his chest, and Kid screamed as it hit him near the heart. There were thundering footsteps up the stairs, and the door burst open, revealing Lord Death._

_'HOW DARE YOU COME HERE!' he roared. 'YOU THINK YOU CAN COME HERE AND HURT MY SON?' As Lord Death slew the witches, Kid fell back onto the bed as the spells broke. _I'm dying,_ he thought helplessly. _There's nothing that can save me. _Lord Death hurried over to Kid._

_What happened?' he gasped as he saw Kid's wound. 'Kid.' he moaned. One tear slipped down Kid's cheek as the life went out of him._

_'Father.' Kid whispered. With one last breath, Kid died._

'Why hasn't your body decayed?' Maka asked quietly.

'The witches decided to curse it so it would not. They wanted my father to see it always and be haunted by thoughts about me, but my father doesn't know about my condition now.' Kid replied, spirit crushed by the memory of his death.

'You died down here, in the basement?' Tsubaki asked in shock.' Kid shook his head.

'No, I did not. I moved it down here after my death.' he told them.

'Then, where...' Kid simply looked at them, and instantly they knew they didn't want to know.

'Let's get this done.' Soul said, turning his arm into a scythe to dig.

'Wait.' Maka said. 'We shouldn't bury Kid down here. What about in the backyard?' Everyone nodded, and as everyone walked off, Maka was left to pick up Kid's body. Maka looked at his body up close, and barely held back tears. 'Did you have a weapon partner when you died?' she asked Kid.

'No, I had not started at the DWMA yet. We also need to pick up a box.'

'A box?' Maka was confused for a moment.

'To bury my body in.' Maka nodded.

'Of course. Black Star, we need you to carry something!' she called to him. Black Star quickly arrived.

'Yahoo! What do you need Maka?'

'Is this box good enough Kid?' Maka asked Kid, pointing to a long crate about Kid's length with the skull emblem on it. Kid nodded, and Black Star picked it up and carried it.

'Of course I can carry a stupid old box.' he said.

They walked the rest of the way in silence. When they reached the back door of Gallows Mansion, everyone walked through into the backyard, but Kid stopped.

'What's wrong Kid?' Maka asked. He sighed and pressed his hand to the air in line with the door. His hand had hit a blue shield-net, which was stopping him from leaving.

'My soul is bound to the mansion. I can't go into the backyard.'

As Soul and Tsubaki dug a grave, Black Star snorted and walked forward, dropping the box in front of Maka. He slammed his soul wavelength into the ground, and the ground exploded. 'Slow,' he told them, 'is not the way to do things.'

'Wow Black Star!' Soul said. 'That was awesome!' They then gave each other a high five.

'I know! It's a true godly power!' he laughed. Maka walked forward and carefully placed Kid's body in the now open crate. They closed the box and with all four helping, they carefully lowered it into the ground. After a few moments, the group had completely buried it. Kid started glowing, but stopped after a few moments.

'What was that?!' Maka asked him, a little scared. Kid looked at her with a flicker of amazement.

'My bond to the house was just released.' Everyone looked to each other with expressions of joy and general happiness.

'Hey Kid, have you seem your father since you died?' Kid's face dropped.

'No, he moved out of the house and never came back.'

'Well, come with us. Everyone, let's head to the DWMA.' Maka, Soul nodded, and Black Star just started walking, Kid following them.

After dodging anyone they had seen, they ended up at the door to the Death Room. It was at this point Kid realised their plan. 'It has been 200 years.' he murmured, a little worried.

'It'll be fine!' Maka told him as they entered.

'Hi everyone!' Lord Death said, not noticing his son hiding behind the main group.

'Hello.' Maka said, attempting to elbow Kid. Kid awkwardly floated forward.

'Father?' he said.

'KID!' Lord Death gasped. Kid rushed toward Lord Death, and the two collapsed into a huge hug. 'Two centuries...even by my standards that's a long time.' Lord Death said softly to his son.

'Y-yeah.' Kid sniffled, his formal attitude breaking. He started crying into Lord Death's cloak.

'My goodness, it's been so long!' Lord Death said, rubbing Kid's back. 'Hey, shh, it's okay. I'm so glad to see you!' They hugged for a little more, then Lord Death broke away, keeping his hand on Kid's shoulder. 'How were you brought here? Your soul obviously was kept in this world by unfinished business and regret. Man, if only I had known your soul was still here I would've tried to save you.' He sounded regretful at the last part.

'Black Star made us enter the mansion in what he called a so-called test of fear,' Maka said, with finger quotes around "test of fear", 'and we bumped into Kid's ghost. He freaked us out at first, but we managed to calm down and get to terms.'

'My soul was tied to the mansion and I couldn't leave.' Kid told his father. 'I tried to communicate to them by writing down in a book since they couldn't see or hear me at first, but they got scared and didn't look at what I was writing. I eventually became visible and audible to them. They helped bury my body and break my ties to the mansion.' Lord Death looked at Kid for a long moment, then reached out and touched Kid in the chest. Kid's eyes widened with shock, then complete joy. 'Father...' Kid's voice was a mixture of shock and absolute gratitude. 'Thank you.'

'No problem!' Lord Death replied cheerfully. 'I've given you a second chance. Your body is buried so you're still a ghost, but you can now lead an existence like you're still living. You can eat, drink, sleep, be in contact with the living including be visible and audible, etcetera. You're just still dead, that's all. You're the only other reaper in this world and someone naturally needs to take over the previous one. As long as you're still here, even as a ghost, you still have the duty to lead the next generation. You could even call yourself a "living ghost", but you must pass to the other side if you die a second time.' Kid hugged his father again and pressed his head into the side of his father's.

'You have my deepest gratitude, honourable father.' he whispered.

To Maka, Soul, Black Star and Tsubaki, Lord Death said 'How about you go around this part of the City and you can take a look at what is different now, Kid. Is that fine with you?'

'Sure!' Maka said happily. Reluctantly, Kid broke away from the hug, obviously trying to make up for lost childhood.

As they led Kid out, Lord Death laughed to himself. 'You have a lot of things from 200 years to catch up on, Kid.'

**Yeah, ghost Kid. This will be a threeshot, so see you next time, in chapter 2 of Ghost of the Gallows!**


	2. Chapter 2

**NorthernMage here with chapter 2 of Ghost of the Gallows! Quickly, some reviews:**

**Kittylover88: I think we all wanted to. Kid reacts to a few new things in this chapter. Hopefully Too Twisted To Be Home will be updated soon.**

**LuckySoulStarEater: That gave you feels, huh? You'll love this chapter then.**

**And now on with the story!**

**Lord Death: NorthernMage and Pokelolmc don't own Soul Eater or Ghostbusters.**

After leaving the Death Room, Maka, Soul, Black Star and Tsubaki had begun to lead Kid through the city.

At the moment, they were walking past a row of various stores.

Kid stared at the store. 'What's this?' he demanded, pointing at the sign. The group paused, and Maka turned to look at what Kid was staring at.

'That's a bookstore.' she said happily. 'I go there all the time. In fact, it's where I got the book that first told me about you.' Kid shook his head.

'The sign. Surely those aren't candles lighting it up?' Black Star laughed, and slapped his hand on Kid's shoulder.

'It's electricity! They had that in the eighteenth century!' Everyone except Black Star exchanged awkward looks.

'Black Star, I lived in 1813. That was the nineteenth century, and they didn't have this _electricity_ you speak of.'

'It's a power source.' Maka explained to Kid. 'It turns on lightbulbs, which provide light. No one usually uses candles anymore.'

'Ah.' They kept walking.

'I'm hungry!' Soul moaned, clutching his stomach in an attempt to get Maka's sympathy. 'Can we get some pizza or something?'

'YAHOO! We can borrow a movie as well! PIZZA PARTY AT MAKA AND SOUL'S!' Black Star yelled. Maka sighed.

'Whatever. Tsubaki, I'm going to need to head home and clean now everybody's coming over. Can you finish showing Kid around Death City?'

'Sure Maka! Follow me Kid!'

'As you wish, Tsuabki.'

They continued the tour, which Tsubaki couldn't deny had it's moments. For example, when Kid saw his first motorbike, which happened to be Soul's, parked outside the pizza store. 'What is that monster?' Kid gasped.

'That's a motorbike.' Kid continued to stare at the "monster", twitching slightly. 'What's wrong?' Tsubaki asked him.

'Its...IT'S NOT SYMMETRICAL!' Kid yelled, starting to run towards it. In one expert motion, Tsubaki flipped him around the other way and began to lead him to Maka and Soul's apartment. _I guess Black Star isn't the only one who breaks into fits every few minutes,_ she thought to herself.

A few hours later, everyone was crowded around the TV in Maka and Soul's apartment. Soul and Black Star were laughing at something, Maka and Tsubaki were picking a movie to watch, and Kid was cringing at every bite of pizza he had. 'How do you devour this...can it even be called food?' he asked Soul and Black Star. The two looked to each other, and back to Kid.

'Kid, you don't insult pizza.'

'It's the godliest food on the planet.' Black Star agreed.

'I seriously doubt it is food.' Kid muttered. Soul's arm turned into a scythe.

'Mr I-Hate-This-Century, do you really think it's a wise idea to insult the pizza gods?' It was then that Maka and Tsubaki decided to walk back in.

'Guys, we got a movie, but it's old.' Maka warned, holding up a copy of _Ghostbusters_. All three boys raised an eyebrow at this.

'_Ghostbusters_.' Soul said simply.

'Really Maka?' Black Star asked in shock.

'What's a movie?' Kid asked. Soul and Black Star dissolved into laughter, while Maka and Tsubaki had to bite their lips to stop themselves.

'You'll find out in a few moments, Kid.' Maka said, putting the movie in the DVD player and playing it.

'What is this insanity?! A box that can talk and has moving pictures on it?!' Kid gasped when the TV started to play the opening scene.

'It's a TV.' Tsubaki said helpfully.

'They let you watch TV shows and with a DVD player, watch movies.' Maka finished.

When the first ghost appeared, Kid sighed. 'I have a feeling this _movie_ will be incredibly offensive to me.'

Later in the movie, Maka decided to ask Kid a few questions. 'So Kid, as a ghost, can you possess things?'

'No, I cannot. However, as you know, I can interact with things in the world, which when I am not visible, would look like I can possess objects.'

'Pretty cool. What else can you do?' Soul asked.

'Remember when you first arrived at Gallows Mansion?' Everyone nodded. 'Well, you would have seen me from behind. I was far down the entry hallway.'

'Yes! We never did catch you.' Tsubaki exclaimed.

'I ended up getting out of your sight, and I went through a wall to lose you.' Kid explained.

'That's amazing!' Maka said. 'Is that all you can do?'

'Yes. In my 200 years as effectively being the living dead, I have not discovered any other powers.'

That night, after watching the movie, Kid was lying in bed back at Gallows Mansion. _They're not coming back,_ he told himself. _I have already locked the door, and the key is right beside me._ Hesitantly, Kid slipped into bed.

Lord Death looked at Kid through his mirror in the Death Room. After 200 years of not even knowing Kid was still on the earth, wandering unheard and unseen throughout Gallows Mansion, he felt like a failure as his father. How could he not have known? There would have been some sign, something to tell him he hadn't completely lost his son that night, wouldn't there? Now though, Kid was back, and Lord Death could tell by the way he looked at his bed in Gallows Mansion that Kid was scared. He wasn't scared very often, at least, as far as Lord Death knew. Briefly, he considered letting Kid deal with it, but instantly slammed that idea.

_How could I be so heartless and tell myself he can deal with it after all this time?_ he asked himself, furious. _What kind of a father _am_ I?!_

It had been half an hour since Kid had gotten into bed, but he wasn't even nearing sleep. He pushed himself deeper into bed, experimentally closing his eyes to try and sleep.

Then he felt it. It was an immensely powerful soul, much much more impressive than his. It sent him into a panic, and he hid himself completely under the sheets. Suddenly, he recognised the soul, and slowly crawled out of bed, and walked over to the door, opening it.

Just outside Lord Death was sitting next to the door. 'Father? Why are you here?' Kid asked sleepily.

'I'm not going to let you be scared on your own anymore. I could see you through the mirror, and I asked myself what kind of a father I would be if I left you to that.' Lord Death looked to Kid. 'I'd be a monster.' He paused. 'I'm not going to let you get hurt Kid.' Kid stood there, stunned. Then, he sat in the elder god's lap, his head leaning on his father's shoulder. Lord Death put an arm around Kid's stomach, and the other higher up, around his shoulders.

In his father's embrace, Kid closed his eyes, and for the first time since his death, he slept soundly.

**That last scene even gets ****_me_**** choked up. And I wrote it! Anyway, see you in the third and final chapter of Ghost of the Gallows!**


	3. Chapter 3

**NorthernMage here with chapter 3 of Ghost of the Gallows! Quickly, a review:**

**Miiv12: Thanks! It means a lot.**

**Now, I'm sure you're all pushing to read the chapter, so here you go! The third and final chapter of Ghost of the Gallows!**

**Patty: NorthernMage and Pokelolmc don't own Soul Eater!**

It had been three months since the kishin Asura had been defeated. Kid, Liz and Patty were planning to start collecting souls again soon, as they had had to help with rebuilding Death City. The trio knew a lot about each other now, and they had few secrets between them.

That is, except the whole fact that Kid was a ghost, which Kid had tactfully kept quiet from them. Liz was completely and utterly terrified of monsters, and from what he could tell, ghosts were right in the middle of that category. They were resonating quite well, but it was obvious that if Liz found out, she would probably run in the opposite direction screaming, and possibly never come back. This would of course mean Kid couldn't fight for symmetry reasons.

'Hey Kid?' Patty asked.

'Yes, Patty?' Kid asked, rubbing his eyes. He had been up for hours longer than his weapons, having gone and wandered into the library early that morning. Kid had come across a book talking about the legend of the Ghost of the Gallows, _his_ legend, and had decided to read it. He had eventually stopped reading to head back to his room, which had resulted in him running into his giraffe-obsessed weapon.

'I'm boooooored! Can Liz and I go into the backyard?'

'Sure.' Kid mumbled. 'I just need some sleep.' With _Death City Legends: The Ghost of the Gallows_ under his arm, he went to his room.

'BIG SIS! LET'S GO AND PLAY!' yelled Patty. A few minutes later, Liz appeared,

'What's up with him?' Liz wondered as she walked over to Patty, having passed Kid in the hallway. 'Kid looked pretty tired.'

'Maybe he couldn't sleep, big sis!' Patty said, eyes wide as she thought. 'We should go cheer him up!'

'No, I think Kid might want some time alone right now.' Liz said, directing her sister into the backyard.

Giggling, Patty drew in the dirt, making a creature that looked somewhat like a giraffe. 'Ha ha ha! Come look at this!' Sighing, Liz moved from where she was gazing into a small fishpond checking her reflection.

'What is it?' she asked.

'It's a giraffe!' Patty said proudly. 'See, I put spots on it and everything! It's really dirty though.' she said. Smiling, she scooped up some water from the pond in her fingers, cupped it into a bowl shape, and dumped it all over her picture. 'It's all clean now!' she giggled.

'Patty, you just washed it away.'

'What? I'M GONNA BREAK YOUR NECK FOR THAT, GIRAFFE!' Patty yelled at the now blank expanse of dirt. Sighing, Liz started smoothing over the dirt, getting it ready for the next "masterpiece" her sister would make. As she did so, however, the water had seeped into to the dirt, which made it collapse into a small hole just beneath the ground. One simple brush of Liz's hand was all that was needed to reveal a skull emblem on a wooden crate.

'Huh? What's this?'

Kid slammed the book shut, shaking with anger. The last few sentences echoed through his mind. _"There have been many rumours that the associate of Lord Death was the kishin, and Lord Death himself was the one to deal the final blow."_

'How dare they!' Kid hissed, hands curled into fists. _The idea that my own father killed me?! And they likened me to the _kishin! He took a few deep breaths. _They're just rumours, but still._ Tears poured down his face. _How could they suggest...that my own father..._ As he cried, it dissolved into choking sobs. _...killed me? _He closed his eyes, and slowly the sobbing died down. 'They don't know anything.' Kid said to himself. He kept repeating it to himself as he slipped into bed and fell asleep.

'They know nothing about me.'

'What do you think this is, Patty?' The two sisters had completely uncovered the box. It was long, about the size that would fit a teenage boy, and had Lord Death's skull on it, but apart from that, it was an average crate. Kneeling down on each side, they worked to uncover it, sliding their fingers just under the lid and pulling up. Just as they were about to pull the lid off, Liz froze. 'Patty, are you sure we want to do this? I mean, there could be _anything_ in here.'

'It'll be fine! It can't be that bad!' With that, the Thompson sisters pulled the lid off the box, and looked at the box's contents.

It was the body of Death the Kid. They stared in horror at it for a few seconds. His body was severely injured, and there was a hole in his chest, near his heart. He was badly bruised, and many scrapes were visible as well. More than that, there was the distinct feeling it wasn't him, just a body. It felt peacefully empty, if creepy. Patty was horrified beyond words, while Liz...

She reacted.

'AHHHHHHHH!' she screamed, her hands shakily touching the body. 'OUR MEISTER'S DEAD?!'

'Sis,' Patty whispered, 'he's wearing really different clothes.' Liz pressed her hands to her mouth, trying to stop herself from screaming. The body was wearing a completely different set of clothes. Liz let loose another scream, terrified. They stared in shock for a few moments, then heard the back door to the mansion opening.

'Liz? Patty?' It was Kid, and he sounded worried. 'What's wrong? Your screaming woke me up.' Liz looked from Kid to his body, and with a single nod from Patty was holding her sister in gun form. She pointed her at Kid, who stared. 'Liz, what-'

'I don't know who the hell you are, but we just found someone who looks exactly like you right here, who's _dead. _Now, you had better start _goddamn explaining yourself!'_

After a few seconds, Kid began to speak. 'Liz, Patty, we need to talk about this inside, _calmly._ Just come inside and I'll explain.' He looked uncomfortable.

Keeping her eyes firmly on her meister, Liz nodded, and followed him into the house, keeping Patty aimed firmly at Kid's back the entire time. They sat down, and Patty transformed into her human form. 'Explain.' Liz demanded.

Kid sighed. _Where am I supposed to start? _he wondered. 'I was killed in 1813 by a group of witches.' he said.

'WHAT? YOU'RE A GHOST?' Liz screamed.

'Yes. We've been partners for months though. You know I-' Liz got up and started backing away. She was breathing frantically, her chest visibly rising up and down. Kid moved to calm her, but saw the complete and utter terror in her eyes. 'Elizabeth,' Kid said softly, 'I'm not going to hurt you. I just need you to listen, okay?' He reached out his hand. Liz didn't take it, but followed him back to the table.

'Ever since I died, I was trapped in Gallows Mansion. My father, who had been living here at the time of my death, moved out. I didn't talk to anyone for 200 years, and wandered around the mansion. Six months ago, some Academy students came to take a test of fear at this mansion. Have you heard of a legend called the Ghost of the Gallows?' Liz and Patty nodded.

'It was a story about a friend of Lord Death dying, and haunting his house!' Patty said excitedly.

'Well, that legend is about me. It drew the Academy students here, and they saw me and released my bond to the mansion, which involved burying the body you found. They then took me to see my father, who gave me a second chance at living.'

'What...what happens if you die again? Or are you immortal now?'

'If I die again, I won't be a ghost unable to interact with the world, I'll actually die. I can't come back a second time.' Kid said quietly.

'Prove it.' Liz said.

Kid blinked. 'Prove it?'

'Yeah. For all we know, you just made all that stuff up.' Kid sighed, and stood. He then closed his eyes, and as Liz and Patty watched, he began to turn translucent.

'Try whatever you want to prove it.' he told them. 'I can't be touched in this form.' While Liz headed out of the room, Patty giggled and started sticking body parts into Kid. By the time Liz returned, Patty had completely moved into Kid, and kept sticking her head out of his body.

'It's kinda cold in here sis!' she told her sister happily. 'This is so cool!'

'Patty, get out of Kid. I want to try something.' Liz replied, her hand holding something behind her back.

'Okay sis!' Patty gleefully moved out of Kid, and the moment she was clear, Liz pulled her hand out from behind her back, and stuck the item in it into Kid's chest. Luckily, it didn't touch him.

It happened to be a kitchen knife.

After a few seconds, Liz waved it around a little, the knife still in Kid. 'Happy now?' Kid asked. Liz nodded quickly, and put the knife down on the table as Kid returned to his solid form.

'So, you really _are_ a ghost.' Liz said shakily.

'Yes.'

'From the nineteenth century.'

'That is correct.'

'Do you...bleed? Or are you invincible to any injuries?' Liz asked. Kid walked up to the knife, and pressed a finger against the blade. Upon removing it, the sisters saw a small cut on it, and a single droplet of blood.

'Yes, I can bleed and die. You've seen me hurt before. I can't get sick, however. That is because I am a grim reaper. My body rejects any toxin that is given to me.' A small smile appeared on Kid's face. 'Just think of it as I being a reaper with the ability to become translucent and untouchable, which is extremely trying to use.' As he talked, the way he spoke changed to a more formal way of speaking. It was now that Patty chose to ask an unrelated question.

'Hey Kid, why were you screaming in your sleep a few days ago?' Instantly, the sisters knew they'd touched a nerve. Kid's face closed up, and he was silent for a few seconds.

'Um...well...the witches killed me in my bed, and, uh, sometimes...I have...nightmares, that they came back...and that...I'm dying...again.' he said awkwardly, pausing every few words.

'Kid...' Liz didn't know what to say. 'So, you've been back for how long?'

'12 months.'

'Does...does it hurt?' Kid stared at Patty.

'Dying?' Liz and Patty nodded. Kid's eyes met theirs for a second. 'Yes, it does.'

Liz and Patty couldn't understand what they were seeing. Their meister had been murdered 200 years ago in his bed, and had been all alone as a ghost locked in the mansion until a year ago. 'I had to learn a lot when I could exit the mansion.' Kid admitted, faking a lighthearted voice. Liz and Patty could tell it was a sore topic for him, and that was why the Ghost of the Gallows found himself being hugged by his weapons.

'Kid, it's okay not to want to talk about it.' Liz assured him.

'Yeah! It's no big deal if you don't want to!' Patty said happily.

Kid was frozen for a moment, but after a few moments, closed his eyes and let the tears flow.

'Thank you. Thank you for understanding.' Kid had found two girls who knew what it was like to be scared, to be facing death, which they saw many times on the streets.

That shared experience connected them beyond anything else.

There was one little thing that needed to be cleared up though.

The next day, with _Death City Legends: The Ghost of the Gallows_ neatly tucked under his arm, Kid went to see his father. He wanted to know more about his legend, and anyway, he wanted to make sure the fully grown grim reaper had recovered from Asura's attack. As he walked up the hallway that led to the Death Room, a certain death scythe was going to meet his boss.

'Oh, hi Kid. I wasn't expecting to see you here.' Spirit said as they walked.

'Hello Death Scythe. Are your injuries from Asura all healed?'

'Good as new! I can finally get back to Chupa Cabra's now. I wasn't healed enough to leave the house for the last few months. Huh? What's that?' Spirit had seen the book under Kid's arm.

'The book? It's just a collection of old stories I found. Some of them seemed interesting, so I wanted to ask my father if any of them could be more than stories.'

'There's a legend associated with Gallows Mansion, you know. The legend of the Ghost of the Gallows.' _Don't react, don't react,_ Kid thought frantically.

'Oh really?'

'Yeah! It's about Asura and Lord Death.' _What?_

'I don't think I've ever heard that story. Mind telling me?'

'Sure. So, Asura was living with Lord Death peacefully. Then, one night, Lord Death found out Asura was a kishin, and killed him in his bed that night. Ever since, his ghost was supposedly haunting Gallows Mansion. It was a legend that started up a few hundred years ago in the 1800s.' Spirit explained, then realised Kid had stopped. 'Kid, what's wrong?' Kid glared at Spirit, anger raging in his eyes.

_'That legend is about me you imbecile!'_ Kid roared. '_I_ was the one killed in my bed! Witches came and killed me! _I_ was the one trapped inside Gallows Mansion for 200 years! Maka, Soul, Black Star and Tsubaki released my bond to the house in their early days at the Academy!' Spirit stared in shock.

'Kid...I...' Spirit didn't know what to think. Kid wasn't only a grim reaper, he was a ghost too. Still glaring at him, Kid slowly turned translucent.

'See? I'm stuck as a ghost, and if I die again I'm not coming back!' Still in his ghost form, Kid wiped his eyes where tears had started to form and stormed off to the Death Room. Spirit was left standing in the hallway.

'Poor kid.' he said quietly.

As Kid entered the Death Room, he walked over to his father, who was watching his mirror. 'Hello father.'

'Hi Kid! How are you?'

'I'm fine. But I recently came across a rumour, and I was wondering if you knew anything about it.'

'Okay!'

'People are saying...that my legend...is actually about a kishin being killed by you in his bed.'

'Kid, you know that witches killed you, and that I did everything I could to stop them. They don't know anything about you.'

'Yes. It still hurts though, knowing that people think a kishin haunts Gallows Mansion when in fact it was me, stuck on the earth as a ghost.'

'You're a ghost?' a voice asked. 'Can I dissect him Lord Death?' Both reapers turned to see Stein, who had slipped in unnoticed during their chat. 'What? I'll be careful!' he said in reply to the looks of shock from them.

'Kid, move out of the way.' Lord Death muttered. Kid moved aside, and Lord Death walked up to Stein.

'REAPER CHOP!'

**See you next time in another fanfic!**


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